Things We Love: Television shows

“RESTORED BY THE FORDS”

It’s quite a feat if a new home-remodeling show can rise above the oversaturated cable lineup and garner interest, but HGTV’s ­“Restored by the Fords” has done just that, becoming my latest TV crush. It’s not bad business to work with family in “Restored,” where designer ­Leanne Ford bosses her big brother, Steve Ford, around while he takes it all in laid-back stride as a contractor who occasionally skateboards around the job site. Filmed in Pittsburgh, Pa., Leanne, a former fashion stylist, has an upscale yet approachable design aesthetic that’s modern and eclectically chic. Steve does the heavy lifting, making her often-quirky vision a reality. The show is formulaic, but it’s the rapport between the siblings that’s engaging. Video on Demand snippets show the two honing their on-screen banter as kids, clowning around as they’re filmed by their father. So, says Steve, they’ve been rehearsing for this gig all their lives. The second season ended in May, but both seasons are available on demand at HGTV.com. The only hitch is your mind might race down your own list of lofty projects wishing the Fords were part of your family. — Ruby Mata-Viti

“DEAD LIKE ME”

Before he was grizzled, gray and a father figure to the female star of Showtime’s “Homeland,” Mandy Patinkin was youthful, spry and a father figure to the female star of Showtime’s “Dead Like Me.” Sounds like a reprise, but these shows are so very different, their only link is Patinkin’s sonorous delivery. “Dead” played for just two seasons starting in 2003, but is available for discovering/rediscovering on Amazon Prime. Quick take on the plot: A surly girl named George (Ellen Muth) dies, but instead of crossing into the light, becomes undead, which in this case doesn’t mean a zombie. She joins a small crew of reapers — tasked with collecting souls of others just as they die, and ease their way into the afterlife. Which sounds sweet, but these reapers are quite grouchy. Patinkin’s Rube is their supervisor. As reapers they remain among the living, and in fact must have some form of income (George works at a temp agency), as they still need to eat. Episodes follow them on their reaping rounds, but also take in George’s evolving workplace relationships, the family she left behind and the growing bond within Rube’s team. The show is often touching, never corny, always irreverent, but mostly smart and funny. — Betty Shimabukuro

“THE CASKETEERS”

Watching funeral directors work isn’t what most would think of as entertainment, but Netflix’s “The Casketeers” offers an inviting behind-the-scenes look at a mortuary in Auckland, New Zealand. The show follows Maori couple Francis and Kaiora Tipene and their staff on their day-to-day activities as they help Polynesian families cope with the loss of loved ones. Both heartbreaking and ­humorous, the show respectfully balances emotional funerals with the comedic antics of Francis Tipene, a natural showman with quirky obsessions (he’s got a fondness for leaf blowers). ­Humor aside, the Tipenes and their staff genuinely care about the families they work with while giving viewers a tasteful glimpse into different cultures — from Maori funeral traditions to Samoan burials. And it’s all done with compassion and “aroha” (love). With each episode clocking in at under 30 minutes, it’s easy to binge-watch. The second season dropped last month, but the good news is they are already filming a third season. — E. Clarke Reilly

“THE GOOD FIGHT”

Fans of “The Good Wife” will be happy to have CBS’ “The Good Fight” in their corner. It’s a direct spinoff, with Christine Baranski starring as super-attorney Diane Lockhart. Instead of the infidelity of “The Good Wife,” the scandal here is financial. Lockhart was set to retire but lost all of her savings in a Bernie Madoff-like scheme. She joins a new firm, run by African American attorneys who are good at winning cases involving police brutality against blacks, thus putting them under scrutiny by the government. Young attorney Maia Rindell (Rose Leslie), who is Diane’s goddaughter and the daughter of the man accused of running the scheme, also joins the firm after being ousted from her job because of the scandal. She’s dealing with taunts on social media and her subtly secretive parents (Paul Guilfoyle and Bernadette Peters). As with “The Good Wife,” the show is excellent at unwinding this subplot while also providing interesting cases for the law firm. Cantankerous judges, snotty opposing attorneys, infighting and sexual dalliances spice up the proceedings. Available through CBS All Access at cbs.com. — Steven Mark

“GOOD OMENS”

I first heard about the TV series “Good Omens” when it made the news recently. A Christian group petitioned Netflix to cancel the supernatural show, which was only available on — surprise — its rival Amazon Prime. Both services took to Twitter to crack jokes. Amazon Prime tweeted, “Hey @netflix, we’ll cancel Stranger Things if you cancel Good Omens. 😉 ” Netflix fired back: “ok we promise not to make any more.” Of course, this immediately piqued my interest after the tweets went viral. I binged-watched the first season over a weekend. The hilarious show is based on the best-selling novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman: Angel Azriphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tennant) are supposed to be rivals, but their friendship formed over 6,000 years is what’s standing in the way of a looming Armageddon. The besties conspire to save the world. “Good Omens” is a guilty pleasure narrated by God, who is *gasp* a woman (Frances McDormand). If you’re willing to suspend your religious beliefs, you just might enjoy the show for its entertainment value and clever lines: “Get thee behind me, ­demon,” Azriphale tells Crowley. ­(Azriphale opens the door and motions to Crowley.) “After you.” — Diane S. W. Lee